(Telecompaper) Italian communications regulator Agcom could impose new regulatory obligations on "consumer communication services" such as WhatsApp, Telegram and Viber, and require them to pay operators for using their networks, reports La Repubblica. The watchdog is set to propose an "obligation to negotiate" with telecommunications companies as well as a requirement to respect Italian privacy laws, said the report. The proposed payment to operators should be "equitable, proportionate and non-discriminatory", and serve as compensation for the amounts the companies have invested in building up their networks as well as the telephone numbers used by the messaging apps for their services. In turn, the app providers will be allowed to charge for value-added services via consumer phone bills, said the report.